Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2008-09: Max Friberg split the season betweeen the Skovde IK’s Division 1, J-20 and J-18 squads. In 24 games for the Division 1 team, Friberg scored 1 goal and added 3 assists for 4 points. In 17 games for the J-20 team, Friberg scored 13 goals and added 7 assists for 20 points. In 10 games for the J-18 squad, Friberg scored 14 goals and added 18 assists for 32 points.

2009-10: Friberg spent most of the season with Skovde IK’s Division 1 club. In 36 games, he scored 12 goals and added 18 assists for 30 points. Friberg also played for Sweden’s silver medal squad at the 2010 U-18 World Junior Championship, scoring 2 goals and adding 3 assists for 5 points in 6 games.

2010-11: Played for Skovde IK at the Division 1 level, appearing in 34 games for that team. Friberg netted 13 goals and added 27 assists for 40 points. Friberg also played for Sweden at the 2011 U-20 World Junior Championship, scoring 2 goals in 6 games.

2011-12: Friberg played in 48 games for Timra in Sweden’s Elitserien as a rookie and was the leading goal scorer at the 2012 U20 World Junior Championship while playing for gold medal-winning Sweden. Skating for a Timra team that finished last in the 12-team Elitserien, he scored 5 goals with 5 assists and was minus-three with 8 penalty minutes. Timra avoided relegation to AllSvenskan, finishing first in the six-team Kval series. Friberg was the fourth-leading scorer for Timra in the Kval series, scoring 3 goals with 4 assists and finishing minus-one in 10 games. Friberg scored a tournament-best 9 goals with 2 assists and was plus-four with 22 penalty minutes in six games at the WJC. Sweden defeated Russia in the gold medal game. Friberg signed a three-year entry-level contract with Anaheim in June 2012.

2012-13: Friberg saw his first pro action in North America, joining Anaheim AHL affiliate Norfolk in April following his second season with Timra in Sweden’s Elitserien. He had 1 goal and was -5 in six games with the Admirals. Norfolk was fifth in the East Division; two points out of an AHL playoff spot. Friberg scored 8 goals with 8 assists in 55 games for Timra and was -10 with 12 penalty minutes. Timra finished 11th and was relegated to second division AllSvenskan for 2013-14 after finishing third in the Kval Series. Friberg scored 4 goals with 2 assists and was +3 in 10 Kval Series games.

2013-14: Friberg skated for Anaheim AHL affiliate Norfolk in his first season in North America — appearing in 74 of 76 regular season games and all 10 playoff games for the Admirals. Friberg was Norfolk’s third-leading scorer with 17 goals and 23 assists and was -1 with 55 penalty minutes. The Admirals finished third in the East Division and reached the second round in the playoffs. Friberg was one of three players to lead Norfolk with 3 goals and was an even plus/minus with 2 penalty minutes in 10 playoff games.

2014-15: Friberg made his NHL debut with the Ducks in a December 28th game against Vancouver, seeing 8:47 minutes of ice time with no points nor penalties in his only NHL game before being returned to the AHL’s Norfolk Admirals. Friberg was the Admirals’ leading scorer despite skating in just 58 of 76 games. He tied Chris Wagner for the team lead with 15 goals and had 25 assists, finishing +2 with 46 penalty minutes. The Admirals missed the playoffs, finishing last in the East Division. Friberg was re-signed by Anaheim to a two-year contract in June 2015.

2015-16: Friberg skated in five November games with the Ducks in his third pro season in North America, spending most of the year in the AHL. He was acquired by Montreal from Anaheim in exchange for goalie Dustin Tokarski in January 2016. He had no points with 2 penalties and was -1, averaging nine minutes of ice time with the Ducks. Friberg scored 5 goals with 12 assists and was -4 with 2 penalty minutes in 25 games with Ducks’ affiliate San Diego. He scored 7 goals with 12 assists and was -2 with 12 penalty minutes in 42 games for the St. John’s IceCaps following the trade. The IceCaps finished fifth in the North Division, missing the AHL playoffs.

Talent Analysis

Friberg has explosive offensive potential and relishes physical play while playing a responsible defensive game. He is slightly undersized but is thick and strong and his combination of speed, skill, and the ability to get under the opponent’s skin make him a valuable player.

Future

Friberg began the 2015-16 season in the Anaheim organization — skating in five games with the Ducks in October — before being obtained by Montreal in a trade for goalie Dustin Tokarski in January 2016. Friberg finished the season in the AHL with Canadiens' affiliate St. John's. Entering his fourth pro season in North America in 2016-17, he will compete for a spot with the Canadiens in training camp. His scoring ability and aggressive forecheck suggest he can be valuable in a lower line role, if he can crack the NHL lineup.

For a second consecutive World Junior Championship, Sweden‘s Max Friberg has been the offensive catalyst for his team. Friberg has turned in another strong performance at the 2012 WJC, including a two-point effort in Sweden’s come-from-behind, 4-3 overtime win.

Friberg talked about his latest clutch outing following the Swedes’ win over Russia.